China announces national ‘Martyrs’ Day

BEIJING: Chinese lawmakers have approved a national day to commemorate people who died in wars resisting foreign invaders, state media reported, at a time when Beijing remains at loggerheads with Tokyo over territory and history. The country’s top legislature on Sunday declared September 30 as Martyrs’ Day, which will be marked “with events across the country” every year, the official news agency Xinhua said. Beijing defines martyrs as “people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity.”